A Forgotten Past
by Black Ninja Star
Summary: When the king of Pluto fires another painter, an painter with exceptional talent is hired. Setsuna finds herself falling in love with him, but all the love in the world couldn't help her deal with a dark fact. ::Chapter 15 is up::
1. Prologue

A/N: Black Ninja Star here. This is my first attempt at a songfic and a romantic story. It's not in my default format (script) so you've have been warned.  
  
I don't know if Sailor Pluto had a lover in the magna (I know she doesn't have one in the anime) so if I messed up, I'm sorry.  
  
One more thing, I am using the Japanese names for this story because I think it's appropriate but I don't know the formalities. So if you know, please email me at naips2k@hotmail.com.  
  
Things I do own: One of the characters in this story, access to a computer, my brain and $1.00.  
  
Things I don't own: Sailor Moon and other related characters, the song Viva Forever by the Spice Girls  
  
A Forgotten Past (the prologue)  
  
*Do you still remember, how we used to be?  
feeling together, believing whatever  
my love has said to me?*  
  
Setsuna looked up in the night sky. This night seemed different. She wasn't sure, but she knew it was different. The gentle blowing of the wind seem to hold her in her arms. Tears started to form at her eyes, but she pushed them back. Tears formed again, but this time she let them fall freely from her eyes, making a small dot on the pavement. Michiru was looking at Setsuna from a distance, the silence speaking words that couldn't be spoken. She broke the silence.  
  
"Tonight must be the night"  
  
Setsuna didn't look at Michiru, but she replied "I wish that it didn't happen"  
  
Michiru walked up to Setsuna. She put a hand on her shoulder. "Setsuna-chan, I know how difficult it is to lose a loved one."  
  
Setsuna paused, then said "You don't. Princess Serenity always brought everyone back to life. She doesn't know about this. No one does."  
  
Michiru nodded slowly.  
  
Setsuna continued, "Didn't you feel the same way about your first love, Michiru-chan? I mean head over heels, not caring for tomorrow?"  
  
"I feel that way about Haruka everyday." Michiru smiled. She looked at her watch. "It's getting late. Are you coming inside?"  
  
"I'll come in later" Setsuna replied. Michiru left and went inside. Setsuna look up at the night sky again. She closed her eyes, letting her mind releasing memories that were once forgotten.  
  
A/n: Ah!! This took 2 months to write. I had this idea playing around in my head. I hope it sounds okay.  
  
Black Ninja Star 


	2. Chapter 1

Dedication: Sailor Pluto Fans who have to look all over ff.net to get a decent story about her. I just hope mine is one of them.  
  
Warning: This is experimental, probably on the cliche side  
  
Chapter 1: The Portrait  
  
The King of Pluto was walking up and down the paintings of the past decade. Scratching his goatee, he would look at one of the pictures, study it and go down to the others. When he was finished looking at the last picture, he paused. His face was in deep thought. Suddenly he got an idea. "Birng the royal painter to me!" he exclaimed.   
  
The painter was brought to the king. He was an young man with blue eyes and had purple hair. He was dressed in a button down shirt and was wearing white dress pants. Some paint decorated his nose. He stood at attention while the King walked in front of him. "You called, sire?" he asked.  
  
The king looked at him. "Your paintings haven't been up to your usual standard. Are you losing your touch, Mikito-san?"  
  
Mikito bowed his head "No, your majesty."   
  
The king nodded "I have stood your incompetence for a long time, Mikito-san, but this is the last straw." His voice rose "Guards!"  
  
Two guards appeared out of nowhere and stood at the side of the king. The king pointed at the painter. "Make sure that the painter new living quarters are comfortable."  
  
"You can't do this!" the painter exclaimed.  
  
The king narrowed his eyes "Just watch me. Take him to the dungeon"  
  
The guards took the painter by the arms and started to drag him out of the room. The queen of Pluto walked in. "That was the 40th painter you fired this month."  
  
The king replied "It's not my fault that I demand quality from the painters that I hired."  
  
The queen looked at him skeptically. "So you're saying it's the painter's fault?"  
  
He nodded his head. "Yes."  
  
The queen slapped his forehead. "Time to send out another proclamation. Oh scribe!" A young man came running up to the queen. "Write this down. To the royal subjects of Pluto, due to circumstances the royal painter position has been opened. If you have expectional talent..  
  
***  
  
"Come to the royal palace for an interview and bring your portfolio. No conpeople please" A man was reading off a pole. He turned to a young man. "You don't like the sound of this, do you Nate-san?"  
  
The young man shook his head "You expect me to? I am one of the painters left in the kingdom that hasn't been fired."   
  
"It's a oppropunity. I mean it's can be your way out of the peaseant life."  
  
The man crossed his arms around his chest. "I'm not that good, Charles-san"  
  
"How about that picture you drew, the one called 'Winter fairy-tale'? That one's pretty good"  
Charles put his hand on the shoulder "You have the chance of a lifetime. This could be your ticket out."  
  
Nathan snorted. "Working for the King of Pluto? Not exactly a ticket."  
  
"You're not looking at the big picture. This could be it"  
  
Nathan knew when he was beaten. He put his hands in his pockets and sighed "You win."  
  
Charles smiled. "Let's go." They both started walking away from the pole.  
  
A/N: *dodges flying objects* It will live up to the plotline. Just trust me! One more thing, I haven't given the description of the people because it will be given in the next chapter. Long live Spy Groove!!  
  
Eudial (my helper): *shakes head* It just gets worse people, don't encourage her!  
  
Black Ninja Star: Don't listen to her. R&R 


	3. Chapter 2

A/N: Although this could happen, it's AU to be on the safe side.   
  
Chapter 2  
  
As Nathan stepped up to the wooden gates of Charon Castle, he was nervous. Most of the painters went in these doors. Most of them got tossed out of them and he wondered if he going to be one of them. He put down his backpack containing his paintings to the side, took a deep breath and knocked on the door. He waited. All he heard was some birds flying and his feet tapping the board. He knocked again. "I don't think it takes that long for a person to answer the door" he muttered. He pressed his ear to the door. He could hear some muffled footsteps and a lot of cursing. He stepped back from the door to see if anything was going to happen. The door opened and a man was looking at him.   
  
He was wearing the standard bulter uniform with black gloves. He was wearing glasses on the bridge of his nose. He said to Nathan with an haughty air "Whatever you're selling, we don't want" and slammed the door in his face.  
  
Nathan was ticked. "No does that to Masuto Nathan!" he growled and lifted his arm. He clenched his fist into a ball and started to pound the door. After pounding for a few minutes, the door opened and the same butler answered. "What part of no don't you understand?" and tried to shut the door.   
  
Nathan grabbed the edge of the door to prevent him from shutting the door. "I am here to ask about the job about the royal painter. If you don't mind, I would like to come in." He stated.  
  
The bulter narrowed his eyes. "Fine, you could come in."  
  
Nathan smiled. "Doesn't it feel nice to co-operate?." He picked up his backpack and walked in past the butler and into the castle.   
  
"Punk" The butler muttered.  
  
"Fruitcake" Nathan shot back. He continued walking down the hallway and past a collection of knight suits. He stopped to look at them. Seeing that his hair and clothes were a complete mess, he tried to straighten himself. 'I hope I get hired' he thought. After brushing off the dirt from his shirt and pants, he continued walking down the hallway. He reached the end of the hallway.   
  
Blocking the end of the hallway were two guards. They gave Nathan the once-over. "Another wannabe painter." One of them said. The faces were as cold as their voices "You can't go in there." one of them stated.  
  
"I'm here to inquire about the job as the royal painter." Nathan said.  
  
"You know about the 40 painters the king fired, right?" The other guard asked.  
  
"Your point, sir?"  
  
"What makes you any different?"  
  
"This" He took one of the paintings out of his pack and unrolled them in front of the guards. "This one is called 'winter fairy-tale'."  
  
The guards studied the painting. It was a winter scene with animals. Their faces seemed to lighten up the longer they looked at the painting. The quality of the painting seemed to be very good. "This is really good. You have a really good chance."  
  
"Thank you." Nathan said as he took back the painting and rolled it up. He put it back in his pack. "Now may I go in?"  
  
"No." The guard said. Nathan looked mad. "We're kidding. You can go in. Good luck sir."  
They opened the doors.  
  
Nathan nodded as he walked into the royal courts.  
  
***  
  
The King and Queen of Pluto were sitting on their thrones talking.   
  
"You said no to the last 5 people who walked in" The queen said.  
  
"They weren't good." The King muttered.  
  
"If you had your way, you wouldn't hire Michaelangelo"  
  
"But they weren't good"  
  
"No more excuses. You will at least consider the next person who walks in." The queen continued "If you don't, then I will..." She leaned closer to the King and whispered.  
  
The king pouted. "But, sweetie.."  
  
"Do it."  
  
As soon as their conversation ended, Nathan walked in. He bowed in front of the King and Queen. "Your majesty, I'm here about the job as the royal painter."  
  
"All rignt. Come up closer and let's take a look at your paintings." The King said.   
Nathan came up closer and took out the paintings out of his knapsack. "Here are some of my artwork, your majesty."  
  
The queen took one of the painting from his hand and unrolled it. "You have considerable talent--"  
  
Nathan spoke up "Masuto Nathan, sire"  
  
The queen smiled "Masuto-san. Did you go to any art school?"  
  
Nathan shook his head "It comes to me naturally."  
  
The king was shocked "You draw like this naturally, with no help whatsoever?"  
  
Nathan nodded "if you have a problem with that..."  
  
The Queen held up her hand, silencing him. She leaned over to the King. "He's pretty good. Very handsome. Doesn't seem to be a con. So what do you say?"  
  
The king stroked his goatee. "He's hired."  
  
The queen said "You start tomorrow".  
  
Nathan was shocked "Really?" He shooked the queen's hand. "Thank you very much." he was really excited. He walked out of the room and down the hallway. When he was out of earshot, he yelled "Woohoo!" He continued to walk down the hallway and out the castle. On his way home he met up with Charles. He stated "I got it."  
  
Charles slapped his back "Good job." He started to walk home with him.  
  
A/N: *dodges bullets* I'm so sorry! I tried really hard to fit a description in this chapter but I couldn't. Here is the description:  
  
Age: 24  
  
Height: 5'8  
  
Weight: --- It's to fit his body type  
  
Eyes: Gray  
  
Hair colour: Black  
  
Eudial: *hides machine gun and laughs nervously* Stay tuned! 


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
  
Nathan reached the castle early the next morning. He knocked on the door of the castle. The same butler that answered the door before answered. "Good morning, butler"  
  
The butler rubbed one eye open "Good morning. I see that they hired you."  
  
Nathan nodded "They did. You have anything to say?"  
  
The butler smiled "I give you two weeks before I personally escort you out this door."  
  
Nathan's hand went up to the butler's neat tie and started to play with it. "Don't count on it. Unlike the other people who walked in here, I have talent." He let go of the tie and walked away from the butler and into the main hallway.  
  
The butler called out to him "Two weeks."  
  
Nathan shook his head. He reached the end of the hallway and pushed the door open. He looked around the big room.   
  
The King motioned him to come closer. As soon he was close he asked "You ready to work, kid?"  
  
Nathan bowed. "Of course your majesty. I was born ready."  
  
The Queen pointed to one of the servants. "Please show Masuto-san the studio where he going to work"   
  
The servant turned around to Nathan and said "Follow me."  
  
Nathan was confused for a moment, then shrugged his shoulders and followed.  
  
***  
  
  
The studio was a depressing place. There was a window leading to the outside and a desk and easel but nothing else. 'No wonder so many painters were fired. Most of them painted badly to get out of this place' He thought. He looked around the room. Sketches were all over the floor and there were some paintings hung up. He looked at the pictures. "No denying that these guys have talent." He started to pick up the sketches. There was a crumpled ball near his feet. He unwrapped it and smoothed it out. It was a rough ink sketch of a woman. There was a few ink blots around it but otherwise it was perfect. He was amazed at how someone can throw this out.   
  
A knock at the door brought him to. He went over to the door and saw the same butler that bothered him. Nathan rolled his eyes and asked "What do you want?"  
  
The butler smiled "His royal highness apologizes but he forgot to introduce someone important when you came in." He stepped to the side. "Introducing her royal majesty, Princess Setsuna."  
  
Setsuna walked in the studio and immediately Nathan was stunned. Setsuna smiled and extended out her hand. "It's an honour to meet the painter I have heard so much about."  
  
Nathan stood still and did nothing for a moment. The butler shuffled his feet. Setsuna's smile was replaced with a look of concern when he didn't respond for a while. Nathan finally came to. He bowed and shook her hand. "Please, your majesty. Forgive me for my behaviour but I have never seen anyone so beautiful in my life."  
  
Setsuna smiled "I hope you will hang around for a while so we can get to know each other."  
  
Nathan nodded "I hope so too."  
  
She walked out the door. The butler smiled "You wonder why I said two weeks? One of the rules is that you can't fall in love with the princess. That's why most of the painters were fired. Good luck kid." He walked out of the door, closing it behind him.  
  
Nathan was shocked. The only person that he felt feelings for was out of his reach. He sat down on the floor and said nothing. Then he saw the sketch that he saved. He picked it up and hurled it a corner. Then he continued to clean up.   
  
A/N: This took a really long time to type up. Luckily I don't have to dodge anything.  
  
Eudial: *spits out gag* I was tied up! I will get my revenge  
  
Black Ninja Star: Read and Review! 


	5. Chapter 4

First part of this chapter is Nathan's flashback. There's a cameo by some friends.  
  
Eudial: *rolls eyes* It's going to be------  
  
Black Ninja Star: *claps hand over Eudial's mouth* Here's Chapter 5!  
  
~ = dream sequence  
  
Chapter 4  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The rain was coming down on the roof a little harder now. The door was open.   
  
A little boy was in the doorway and looked around. "Mom, Dad? Can I sleep in your bed?"   
  
No answer.  
  
Lightning flashed from the window outside. The boy jumped a little. He went closer to the bed. He was about a few feet way when lighting flashed outside.   
  
He ran under the bed. After a while, he looked out under the bed. Seeing that the coast was clear, he came out and started to shake his mom. "Mom, can you move over? I want to sleep in your bed, I'm scared."   
  
Still no answer.  
  
He was getting frightened. He went over to the other side. He shook his dad "Please dad, wake up. I'm really scared. I want to sleep in your bed. Please"   
  
He was expecting some movement but nothing. His voice was in level of a shout "Dad, please wake up! I'm really scared!" Tears began to fall from his eyes. "Someone wake up!"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Nathan screamed and bolted up in his bed. Tears were streaming down his face "Why did they have to leave me?"  
  
***  
  
Nathan was walking to the castle when he saw Charles on the way. He ran up to see him  
  
"How's it going?"  
  
Charles smiled "Can't complain. How's life at the Castle?"  
  
"Great. The king likes me."  
  
They continued to walk in silence. Charles walked in front of Nathan and stopped him  
  
"You had that dream again did you?"  
  
Nathan nodded.  
  
"You need to let go. It's a sad thing that parents died when you were young, but you need to move on. Don't dwell on the past."  
  
"Charile-san, we have company."  
  
"Man, you're ruining the moment. I'm trying to be the enlightenment in this fic."  
  
Nathan pointed to the really big men who were blocking their way "The moment was already ruined when tweedle-dum times two came along."  
  
"Where are you going, Masuto?" One of the asked  
  
Charles stepped in front of him "Leave him alone."  
  
"What, you have a bodyguard for you now? Why don't you speak for yourself?" the other one said.  
  
Nathan sighed "Back off. I'm not in the mood for this. Now if you'll excuse--"  
  
The same guy grabbed his shoulder. "You're not going anywhere. At least in one piece" Suddenly he recieved a blow to the stomach.  
  
Nathan doubled over from the blow. Then he recieved a punch in the face. He tasted blood in his mouth. Everything was still for a moment. "Thanks a lot for doing that. Now I'll return the favour." He ran toward the person and landed him a right in the jaw.  
  
The man head flew back from the impact. He landed a uppercut to Nathan but was unable to withstand the blows that Nathan was giving him.  
  
Nathan gave him a kick that sent him flying to the ground. He looked at the other guy. "You wanna try, go ahead"  
  
The other guy turned around and ran. The other guy groped the ground blindly. Then he saw a knife someone discarded and smiled evilily.  
  
Nathan came over and kicked him a few times in the back. The man screamed out and seemed to stop moving. He stopped to wipe the blood from his face. He spat out some of the blood from his mouth.  
  
This was the opprunity the guy needed. He got up and hid the knife in his left hand. He extended his right "I'm sorry about the fight. No hard feelings?"  
  
Nathan hesistated for a moment "No hard feelings." He extended his hand to shake. The two men shook hands for a while, then Nathan was drawn close to him.  
  
He smiled eviliy. "You always were gullible, Masuto" His right hand came up and stabbed Nathan in the shoulder.  
  
Nathan screamed in pain. He tried to grab his shoulder and the pain intensified. The guy kicked him in the same spot of the wound and ran away. He fell on the ground.  
  
Charles saw Nathan on the ground and ran to his side. "What happened?"  
  
Nathan grunted "Help me."  
  
Charles saw the blood through his jacket. "Take off your jacket." Nathan nodded and slipped off his jacket. "The bastard did a number on you." He helped Nathan up to his feet. He looked around and saw the castle up ahead. "Okay. We're going to the castle" He ripped off part of his jacket. "Nate, lift up your arm"  
  
Nathan winced as he lifted up his arm. Charles came and he wrapped the strip around his shoulder "This will have to do for now," he said "until we get to the castle. Let's go"  
  
Nathan coughed up some blood. He started to run for a little bit until he collasped on the road.  
  
Charles ran up to him. He started to shake him. "Buddy, wake up" There was no response from him. Nathan lifted him up and put him on his shoulder. He grabbed his arms and wrapped them around his neck. "Hang on!" He started to run to the castle.  
  
A/N: That took a really long time to type. The cameo will have to be in the next chapter.  
  
Eudial: Can I tell them who it's going to be?  
  
Black Ninja Star: No.  
  
Eudial: But---  
  
Black Ninja Star: The answer's still no. I didn't plan out this chapter properly. They'll just have to wait until the next one. You too, Eudial.  
  
Eudial: *grumbles*  
  
Tell me what you think of this chapter, it's my first time writing a fight scence. Later! 


	6. Chapter 5

Eudial: Are you sure that the cameos are going to be in this one?  
  
Black Ninja Star: I'm sure.  
  
Eudial: Okay, onward!  
  
Chapter 5  
  
Charles reached the castle and pounded on the door. "Please, someone answer!!" He shouted. He put down Nathan near the door and started to pound it. After a few minutes of pounding, the door was answered by the butler.   
  
The bulter opened the door saying "Why can't you be on time--" but was cut short by seeing someone else standing in front of the door instead of Nathan. "Where is Nathan?" He inquired.  
  
Charles pointed to the side of the door. "He's over there. He has been stabbed and is bleeding really badly. I was wondering if you could help him."  
  
The bulter wasted no time. "Okay, he could come in. How did you bring him so far?"  
  
Charles answered "My shoulders. He's not light though. I'll grab his arms, you get the legs."  
  
The butler nodded. He went for the legs, while Charles went for the arms. They lifted him up and carried him through the door and into the castle. Nathan was still unconscious. Charles asked the bulter "Do you know a place where we could put him?"  
  
The butler thought for a moment. "The Princess' bedroom. It's not too far away from here. Just up these stairs" He motioned with his head.  
  
Charles nodded "Right." They walked over to the stairs and started to climb it. While they were halfway up the stairs, Nathan was starting to wake up. "What's going on, where am I?"  
  
The butler answered "Castle."  
  
He screamed "My shoulder! It hurts! Stop!"  
  
Charles was frightened. "Calm down Nate-san. We're almost there"  
  
They came up to the top of the stairs. The butler pointed to the door near the mouth of the stairs. "That's the princess' room. You'll have to put Nathan-san on my shoulders. Someone has to open the door, you know."  
  
Charles nodded. He let go of his part and helped Nathan on his feet. He then lifted up Nathan on the back of the butler and they continued to the bedroom. Charles opened the door and there was no one inside. He waved in the butler and they gently put Nathan on the bed.   
  
Nathan opened his eyes. His vision was blurry. "Am I going to be okay?"  
  
Charles' voice sounded so distant. "Yeah. Hang on, buddy."  
  
Everything went black.  
  
***  
  
*Nobody gets too much heaven no more  
It's much harder to climb but I'm waiting in line*  
  
"Wake up, sleepy" A voice said.   
  
Nathan woke up and saw the princess hovering over her. Her face had a look of concern. He tried to ease himself up on the bed, but the pain came back and he winced in pain.  
  
"Do you need to get up?"  
  
Nathan nodded.   
  
"Let me help you." Setsuna came over to the bed and helped him sit up.  
  
"Thanks. What happened to Charles?"  
  
"He went home."  
  
"Oh."   
  
"My shoulder doesn't hurt anymore."  
  
"The doctor said that it would be better in a few days. He stitched it up while you were out."  
  
There was silence. Nathan was looking around her bedroom and saw a pile of clothes on a chair. "Whose clothes are those?"  
  
"Those are yours, Nathan." Setsuna answered.  
  
Nathan strained closer to see. There was his shirt and pants and his jacket. 'That must mean...' He started to blush deeply. "How come my clothes are over there?" He was surprised that his voice went up a octave.  
  
"We had to clean you up, you looked pretty dirty."  
  
The only thought that was going through Nathan's head was 'I'm in the princess' presence, in my underwear'. He looked down underneath the covers to make sure he was wearing underwear. He hung his head in embarrasment. One of his hands clung onto the cover so he didn't show anymore of his body.  
  
Setsuna put one of her hands on his and smiled. She whispered in his ear "Don't worry. I only saw the upper half of your body--"  
  
'That supposed to make me feel better?' His thoughts interrupted what she was saying so he didn't hear the second half.  
  
"besides, you have a good one." She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.  
  
Nathan was dazed by the kiss. He smiled goofily "Thank you." He cleared his throat to make his voice go down "I mean, thank you."  
  
There was a knock at the door. Setsuna went over to the door and opened it. The butler was at the door and spoke briefly "Princess, the King and Queen request your presence downstairs. We have visitors."   
  
"Sorry, I have to go." Setsuna waved to Nathan and closed the door.  
  
Nathan sat up and touched the place where Setsuna kissed him "She kissed me."  
  
***  
  
Setsuna followed the butler downstairs and into the throne room. The King and Queen of Pluto were sitting in their thrones talking to two people. As she walked closer to the throne, she recognized who they were and smiled. 'The two people I really need to talk to.'   
  
The queen introduced them to her "Setsuna, you know the Princess of Neptune and the princess of Uranus. They are here for a visit."  
  
Michiru smiled "We have heard about the wonderful artwork that your painter is doing. We came to take a look didn't we, Haruka?"  
  
Haruka nodded. She leaned in toward Setsuna and whispered "She wanted to see the paintings. I just came along to see how you were doing."  
  
The king clapped his hands twice "James!"   
  
The butler came to the front of the room.   
  
The king spoke to him "Please show the princesses to their rooms"  
  
James picked up their luggage and motioned to Michiru and Haruka to follow him.   
  
After they left, Setsuna went up to her father. "I want to make a request."  
  
The king nodded "You have my attention."  
  
Setsuna took a deep breath "Will you let Nathan-san live in the castle? He was beaten up badly and I'm afraid that the next time he meets the people who did this he would be killed."  
  
The king thought for a while. He scratched his chin and looked at his nails. "You are really concerned about him, aren't you dear?"  
  
Setsuna nodded.  
  
"He could stay. We have lots of room in the castle and I really like him. Just make sure that he stays out of trouble."  
  
Setsuna hugged her father "You won't regret this." She ran out of the room to tell Nathan.  
  
***  
  
Nathan was out of the bed and looked around the bedroom. His shoulder didn't hurt as much and he wanted to put on some clothes. He went over to the chair that had his clothes and picked them up. He brushed off the pants and put them on. He was about to put on his shirt when Setsuna burst in the door. He held up the shirt over his body 'Note to self: charge money for the peep shows' He thought.  
  
Setsuna was smiling "You're going to be safe from those people who beat you up."  
  
Nathan was confused "What do you mean? You're going to stop bursting in on me?"  
  
Setsuna shook her head "No. You're going to live here. I asked the king if you could live here and said yes."  
  
Nathan was surprised "Why did you do that?"  
  
Setsuna looked down at the ground "I was scared that those guys would kill you the next time they see you, Nathan-san. My parents like you, I like you. You don't want to be the 41st painter fired do you?"  
  
Nathan nodded "I guess. Thank you."  
  
*You came to me, on a summer day  
Are you just a dream, to fade away?*  
  
Setsuna waved her hand "No problem." She walked out the door. As she walked down the stairs, the only thought she had was 'I hope you like me the way I like you.'  
  
A/N: I am really tired. This took 2 hours to write. The song is from Too Much Heaven by the Bee Gees  
  
Mistal:Dark Angel of Abyss: You lived up to your word! *glomps Black Ninja Star*  
  
Eudial: I'm suprised myself.   
  
Black Ninja Star: *whispers* Help me!  
  
Eudial: *to Mistal:Dark Angel of Abyss* You want the next chapter, don't you? Get off and she'll write it.  
  
Mistal:Dark Angel of Abyss: Thank you! *walks away*  
  
Black Ninja Star: *groans* Read and Review. *collaspes* 


	7. Chapter 6

Mistal: Dark Angel Of Abyss: *starts to sing*  
  
Black Ninja Star: She can't be that bad, can she?  
  
Eudial: Do you want to find out?  
  
Black Ninja Star: No.  
  
Eudial: Ok, onward!!  
Chapter 6  
  
Nathan woke up and found himself in the studio. He sat up and looked around the studio. Nothing was out of the ordinary, his paintngs were hanging up to dry. He got up and started to look for his clothing. He was very tired and just wanted to spend the day painting in a quiet studio, all the moving that he did the night before caused him to be very tired and he didn't want to be bothered. He put on his pants and shirt and was getting ready to put on his jacket when he heard a knock at the door. Cursing, he threw down the jacket on the bed and opened the door.  
  
He was greeted by James, who was smiling. He sighed "What is it?"  
  
James stated "Someone is here to see your paintings."  
  
Nathan frowned. He really wanted to be by himself "Can she come at another time? I really want to be alone."  
  
James grinned and tapped his shoulder "You're going to like this. Her majesty, the Princess of Neptune." He stepped back to the doorpost.  
  
What Nathan saw shocked him. A young woman came in through the door and smilled. She had wavy aquamarine hair and green eyes. She was wearing a flowing green dress that complimented her hair "You must be the painter I have heard so much about."  
  
Nathan bowed "Yes I am. Please come in."  
  
The princess walked in the door.   
  
James closed the door behind her.   
  
"Before I go any further, my name is Michiru Kaioh."  
  
"Masuto Nathan at your service." Nathan showed her some of the paintings he finished working on.   
  
'He has exceptional talent' Michiru thought. Her eyes focused on a unfinished painting on an easel. It was a picture of a woman in a green dress. The planet Pluto was superimposed and it was very good.  
  
"Who's is this painting Nathan-san?"  
  
Nathan blushed "It's a picture of the princess. She asked me to do one for her."  
  
Michiru raised an eyebrow "Really?"  
  
Nathan squeaked "Yeah, it was a special request." 'Does she know something?' he thought.  
  
Michiru kept looking at the picture "Please don't lie."  
  
Nathan knew when he was beaten. He went over to the bed and sat down "How do you know?"  
  
Michiru turned around "I have my ways. When did it start?"  
  
"Yesterday."  
  
"Honestly, you can't develop a crush on someone overnight."  
  
"It's been a few months." He lied down on his bed "Yesterday made me realize it when I got stabbed. She took care of me and seemed to be really worried."  
  
"You seem to care about her."  
  
"Yeah." He smiled "She doesn't know that, though. There's a rule that you can't fall in love with the princess. If you do, you'll get fired, or worse."  
  
"Who told you this?"  
  
"The bulter."  
  
Silence reigned in the studio for a moment. Nathan was looking at the ceiling while Michiru was looking at the paintings.   
  
"The rule can't be true, can it?"  
  
***  
  
Haruka knocked on the door. 'You said you wanted to talk to me, Sets where are---'  
  
Her thoughts were interrupted when the door opened, a hand shot out and yanked her inside. She stumbled to make sure she didn't fall "How subtle Sets-chan."  
  
"I'm sorry Haruka-chan. I wanted to make sure no one saw you."  
  
Haruka rubbed her chest "I hope there's no mark. What's so important that you didn't want anyone except me to know?"  
  
Setsuna sat down on her bed "I think I'm in love."  
  
Haruka raised an eyebrow "You think you're in love?"  
  
Setsuna nodded "I need your help on how I should deal with it."  
  
Haruka shrugged and sighed "Anything to help a friend. Who's the lucky guy?"  
  
"The painter that we hired."  
  
"Is he cute?"  
  
"Aren't you gay?"  
  
"Just answer the question."  
  
Setsuna sighed "Yeah, I'm try not to melt when he looks at me."  
  
"Does he know?"  
  
Setsuna shook her head. "Although he melted when I kissed him on the cheek."  
  
"Tell him how you feel. See if he likes you back."  
  
"There's a rule that workers can't fall in love with their boss."  
  
"It doesn't apply to you. You're the boss. You make the rules, you can break them."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Go for it. You have nothing to lose."  
  
"Thanks for the advice."  
  
Haruka waved her arm "No problem." A grin started to form on her face "You know, if the guy likes you and you go out with him, you'd be robbing the cradle."  
  
Setsuna threw a pillow at Haruka "Shut up."  
  
A/N: I was very close to writer's block when I wrote this. I never thought that I was going to go so far with this.   
  
Eudial: Don't worry. You deserve a rest.  
  
Mistal:Dark Angel of Abyss: Thank you for writing this. *hugs Black Ninja Star*  
  
Black Ninja Star: Read and Review!! *carries pillow* I'm going to bed. 


	8. Chapter 7

Eudial: What a long rest, Ninja Star!  
  
Black Ninja Star: I was busy with schoolwork and I couldn't think of anything for this chapter!  
  
Mistal: Dark Angel Of Abyss: Not to mention a cuckoo clock fell on her head.  
  
Black Ninja Star: How do you know that?  
  
Mistal: Dark Angel Of Abyss: Eudial told me.   
  
Black Ninja Star: Oh brother! Let's just go to this chapter.  
Note: This chapter starts from the conversation with Michiru and Nathan.  
  
Chapter 7  
  
"I'm sure he did that to scare you into behaving, Nathan-san."  
  
"I'm a good boy, Michiru-san. Not a choir boy but you know what I mean! I would never do anything to hurt anyone!"  
  
Their conversation was interrupted by a knock at the door. Nathan got up from his bed and opened the door.   
  
A small boy wearing a small version of the butler uniform greeted him. His voice was high-pitched "His royal majesty, the King of Pluto is throwing a ball in 3 days. You are invited. Please come in formal attire." He left, closing the door behind him.   
  
After the boy left, Michiru was smiling "This could be your chance."  
  
Nathan was hesitant to respond "I'm not so sure. I might get fired. What happens if she says no?"  
  
Michiru walked over and put her hand on his shoulder "Go for it. It might be the only opportunity you have."  
  
Nathan shook his head "I need some time to think this over. I need to clear my mind. Can you please pass my coat?"  
  
Michiru went over to the bed and picked up the jacket. She threw it to him "I hope you make the right decision."  
  
Nathan lifted up his arm and caught it "I hope so too. Thanks for the advice, Princess."   
  
***  
  
Nathan was walking down the street. He had his hands in his jacket pockets and was looking down on the pavement. 'I don't know if I should do this. I could get in trouble--' Suddenly he bumped into someone.  
  
"Watch it buddy."  
  
Nathan looked down "I'm sorry. I really----" the person he bumped into was Charles. "Charlie-san, it's me Nathan!'  
  
Charles looked at the Nathan. He started to laugh "I'm sorry I didn't recognize you. It's been a while since I've seen you. You look really different."  
  
"I do?"  
  
Charles scratched his cheek. "Yeah, you do."  
  
"I need a shave, don't I?"  
  
"A haircut wouldn't do any harm either. If you don't, you'll look like the old man in the cave."  
  
Nathan snorted "Thanks a lot."   
  
They started to walk down the street together. Charles asked out of the blue "What were you thinking about?"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"When I bumped into you, you seemed deep in your thoughts. What were you thinking about?"  
  
"It's not important."  
  
"It's not important when you don't see the other person in front of you? Come on," Charles' voice went to one of a child whining "I wanna know. I won't tell."  
  
Nathan winced "Okay, as long as you don't do that again. I think I'm in love."  
  
"Wow. Who's the lucky girl?"  
  
"The princess of Pluto."  
  
Charles was shocked "You're kidding, right?"  
  
Nathan shook his head "I wish I was. It happened after I got stabbed."  
  
"Do you think she feels the same way about you?"  
  
"It's a possibility. She kissed me on the cheek, that could be a clue."  
  
"You know that she has the power to... " Charles made a slitting motion around his neck  
  
"She's not like that. My opinion is that you would have to commit treason to get that from her."  
  
Charles nodded "You have a chance. Why are you telling me all this?"  
  
Nathan said "There's a ball coming in a few days and I want to tell her how I feel."  
  
"Go for it."  
  
Nathan chuckled "Like this? The messenger said formal attire, and I don't even have any formal clothes."  
  
Charles put his hand around his shoulders "Don't worry. I'll help"  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"You know you could get fired from your job if this fails, right?"  
  
"I know, and I'm willing to take that chance."  
***  
  
The Queen was in the ballroom, making sure everything was read for the ball. Messengers were running all over the place obeying the commands of the Queen (and nearly sprained their ankles).   
  
The King walked into the room and looked around "Isn't this a little bit too much for a ball, dear?"   
  
The queen shook her head "Everything must be perfect for the ball. The atmosphere must be set perfectly."  
  
The king shrugged "I guess."  
  
"I want our ball to be memorable. Is anything wrong with making something memorable?"  
  
The king shook his head.  
  
"Good."  
  
"Our daughter seems to be acting differently lately. Do you know what happened to her?"  
  
"She could be in love."  
  
The queen suddenly was interested in what the King was saying "In love, our daughter? Who could the lucky man be?"   
  
"It could be the painter. I've heard the staff talking about it for a while now."  
  
The Queen thought for a moment "Hmm."  
  
"Anyway, it's not of our concern. It was probably just a rumor."  
  
The Queen stated "Even if it is a rumour, he wouldn't be a bad choice."  
  
"He is a charming boy."  
  
"Well, it's up to her. As long as she's happy, we're happy, right dear?"  
  
The queen nodded "Right."  
  
The king walked away from the room, while the queen continued to give orders to decorate the room.  
  
A/N: I'm really sorry for taking so long on this chapter.   
  
Eudial: Blame it on writer's block!  
  
Black Ninja Star: I overcame that and a heavy workload at school too. I promise the next chapter won't take as long to do.  
  
Mistal: Dark Angel Of Abyss: She will type the next chapter faster. *cracks whip* I'll make sure of it!  
  
Black Ninja Star: -_-; Read and review! 


	9. Chapter 8

Black Ninja Star: A big thank you to all the people who reviewed my story so far.   
  
Mistal: Abyss, Water Fairy: I'm one of them right?  
  
Black Ninja Star: Of course.  
  
Mistal: Abyss, Water Fairy: Myst Lady changes her name a lot. @_@ I can't keep track!  
  
Black Ninja Star: You're right, but who cares? A big shoutout to Myst Lady and my new friend Mistal: Abyss, Water Fairy. *hugs her* Thanks for the support!   
  
Mistal: Abyss, Water Fairy: Onward!   
  
Chapter 8   
  
"Why did you put this blindfold on me?"   
  
Charles shook his head "It's a surprise. Be a good little boy and wait for it."   
  
Nathan's hands went to the back of his head and tried to untie it "Damn! The knot is too tight." His hand went further down his neck "What the---"   
  
Charles was chuckling "I guess it's time to show the surprise." He went over to guide Nathan to a mirror "You could take off the blindfold now."   
  
"This better be worth---" Nathan took off the blindfold and was shocked. His hair, which used to be shoulder length, was now down to his neck "Who am I?"   
  
Charles pointed down with his finger "Look at what you're wearing."   
  
Nathan stepped back to see what he was wearing in the mirror. He was wearing a black pantsuit with a white ruffled collar "Wow."   
  
"You like?"   
  
"Yes I do."   
  
Charles walked around Nathan and looked at him from top to bottom. "I must admit, I did a good job. The rest is up to you."  
  
Nathan nodded.   
  
Charles tapped his shoulder "Good luck, buddy."   
  
"Thanks, I'm going to need it." He walked out the door.   
  
***   
  
Nathan was walking to the castle when he saw a peddler selling flowers. He walked over to the peddler "I would like to buy some flowers."  
  
The peddler, a young boy, looked up at him. "What kind do you want?"  
  
Nathan scratched his head "Pretty ones?"  
  
The peddler looked at him skeptically "You're kidding."  
  
"I don't know a lot about flowers, kid. Give me a break."  
  
He rolled his eyes "Fine." He walked over to where Nathan was standing and felt his clothing "Who are you trying to impress, the queen?"  
  
"I want to tell someone how I feel."  
  
"What do you feel about her?"  
  
"I'm in love with her. Whenever I'm around her, everything seems to be a lot better than it was. I don't care about anything else when she's around, but she doesn't know how feel."  
  
The little boy rubbed his chin for a moment. He disappeared for a moment and came out with a white rose in full bloom.* "Why don't you give this to her?"  
  
Nathan took the rose from the little boy "This is very pretty. How much do I owe you?"  
  
"Forget it."  
  
"I should pay you for helping me out."  
  
"I don't want the money. Consider it a favour from a kid on the street."  
  
"Thanks." He continued to walk to the castle.  
  
***  
  
When Nathan arrived at the castle, the ball was almost ready to start. He looked around and saw all the important nobles and ladies standing in the ballroom talking to each other. He saw the band warming up. He strained really hard to see if he knew someone, then he saw Michiru talking to a man in a blue pantsuit **. He walked over to her and bowed politely. Michiru was about to say someting, then after recognizing him, smiled warmly "I didn't recognized you for a second there. I thought you were the butler."  
  
Nathan gasped and put his hand to his face "I'm hurt, princess. You should know that the butler dresses better than I do."  
  
"Not in this case." She put his hands on his shoulders. "You look very handsome."  
  
"Thank you, princess." Nathan lifted Michiru's hand and kissed it.  
  
Haruka, who was standing next to Michiru and watched what happened, cleared her throat.   
  
"I forgot to introduce you to someone." Michiru pointed to Haruka with her hand "This is Haruka,"  
  
Nathan shook Haruka's extended hand "It's an honor to meet you."  
  
"Likewise." Haruka eyed the rose in Nathan's hand "Who is the rose for?"  
  
"It's for the princess."  
  
Michiru took a look at the rose "It's a nice color."  
  
"I hope she likes it."   
  
Haruka smiled "She probably will. That's very thoughtful of you."  
  
The three of them continued to chat some more until a little boy walked in. It was the same boy who gave the announcement to Nathan in the studio. He walked to the centre of the room "Presenting the royal familiy of Pluto. First the King and Queen."  
  
Through the same door, the King and Queen of Pluto walked in. The Queen was waving, while the King was smiling.  
  
The boy's voice entered the room again "The princess of Pluto, Setsuna!"  
  
Ooh's and ahs came from the nobles when Setsuna came in the room. She was wearing a forest green gown that flowed to the ground.   
  
The king smiled and waved his hand "Thank you all for coming. Let the ball begin!"  
  
The band started to play a lively tune and the nobles drifted to the dance floor. Nathan sat down at one of the tables and saw the people dancing on the floor. 'They seem to be so happy, even the butler is dancing'  
  
Michiru was dancing with Haruka and saw Nathan sitting at the table all by himself "Poor guy, he's sitting there all by himself."  
  
"Maybe he needs some help."   
  
Michiru looked up to Haruka "What are you up to?"  
  
"You'll see." With that she was gone. She went over to where Setsuna was "Excuse me," She said to the people who talked to her, then she turned to Setsuna "There is a pressing matter that needs your attention. Would you follow me?" She grabbed her hand and took off, leaving some baffled nobles behind.   
  
Nathan was at the table playing with a wine glass. "Well, this was a night wasted."  
  
"Think again."   
  
Nathan looked up and saw Setsuna standing in front of her "Setsuna-san."  
  
"What are you waiting for? Would you like to dance?"  
  
Nathan nodded and got up. He started to go to the dance floor when he stopped. He picked up the rose from the table and gave it to her "This is for you."  
  
Setsuna looked at the rose in his hand and tears started to brim her eyes.  
  
"Ever since I came to the castle, I knew I felt something. I thought it would go away but it kept growing." Nathan took her hands in his "Setsuna I love you, I don't how you feel about me but I hope you love me too."   
  
Setsuna was speechless. 'This was what I wanted, but why can't I say it back?'  
  
Taking Setsuna's silence as rejection, he bent his head "I guess you don't feel the same way. That's okay." His voice was barely a whisper. He walked away from Setsuna and went out the ballroom.  
  
***  
  
Nathan walked back to the studio and sat on his bed. He blinked back tears as the same thought ran through his head 'I poured my heart out to the one person I thought would understand, and there was no answer from her.' He sighed deeply and fell back on the bed and closed his eyes.  
  
Hours passed and he was still in the same position, the incident was playing again and again in his mind. His thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. Nathan bolted out of bed and walked over to the door. Fearing the worst, he took a deep breath and opened the door. He was surprised that Setsuna was at the door. His voice gave it away "I didn't expect you to be here."  
  
"Who do you expect?"  
  
"The guards, James. Some nobles saying 'how dare this nobody declare love for the princess!'"  
  
*I never stopped to listen to your one and only prayer   
A place for you somewhere*  
  
"Listen, I'm sorry for the way I acted." Setsuna put her hands on his shoulders "I didn't mean to hurt you."  
  
"You did."  
  
"Maybe this will make it up." She leaned closer and kissed him softly. Her lips brushed his for a few seconds then left as quickly as it came. One of her hands went through his hair. Garnet eyes met gray ones "The way that you presented that rose to me, without any fanfare, left an impression on me. I'm sorry if you interperted my silence for rejection."  
  
"I'm sorry for jumping to that conclusion."  
  
"I love you, Nathan."  
  
"I love you too, Setsuna." Nathan drew Setsuna close into his arms. His mouth was close to her ear and he whispered softly "Be mine, Setsuna."  
  
"I will."  
  
End Chapter 8  
  
* A white rose a lot of different meanings. It means Innocense and Purity, You're Heavenly and I Am Worthy Of You. I chose the last meaning for Nathan's rose.  
  
** I didn't make a mistake on this one. Everyone knows that Haruka is a girl in the story but Nathan. In Nathan's mind, Haruka is a guy.  
  
Mistal: Abyss, Water Fairy: You made me feel mushy!   
  
Black Ninja Star: Sorry...  
  
Mistal: Abyss, Water Fairy: *violently shake BNS* First you make it seem that Sets-chan doesn't love Nathan and then at the end you did.  
  
Black Ninja Star: *collapses*  
  
Mistal: Abyss, Water Fairy: Oops. *pokes Black Ninja Star*   
  
*After a few hours*  
  
Black Ninja Star: *wakes up* What happened?  
  
Mistal: Abyss, Water Fairy: Nothing.. *looks really innocent*  
  
Black Ninja Star: *shakes head* I forgot what I was going to say. Oh well, the words that I used were from a song called "If I Fall" by Tara MacClean. It's one of my favourite songs. R/R 


	10. Chapter 9

Eudial: You might need protection for this chapter.  
  
Black Ninja Star: Why?  
  
Eudial: Check the last time you updated and check when you're updating this.  
  
Black Ninja Star: *looks at the two dates* eep... *run and hides*  
  
Eudial: *sighs* Here's chapter 9...  
  
  
  
Chapter 9  
  
Nathan broke the embrace with Setsuna. His hand went up to her face and started to caress it "I guess this means we're a couple now"  
  
Setsuna smiled "I like the idea."  
  
"Good." He leaned in and kissed her again "I've never been in love before. I might some mistakes."  
  
"Don't worry, it's my first time too." Setsuna leaned on Nathan's chest.   
  
He kissed her hair and caressed her back "We'll learn together."  
  
Hours passed, the two of them standing in embrace. The look on both faces seemed to say "let the world go by, just don't leave me.  
  
Setsuna broke the embrace "I have to go."  
  
"Can't you stay a little longer?"   
  
"I can't" She caressed his face "I have some things I have to do tomorrow."  
  
Nathan nodded.  
  
Setsuna kissed him on the cheek "I'll see you tomorrow, ok?"  
  
"Ok." He watched her walk out of the room. He walked over to his bed and lied down.  
  
*I don't want to call my friends, they might wake me from this dream*   
  
  
  
"I hope this isn't a dream" He closed his eyes and went to sleep.  
  
***  
  
Nathan opened one eye has he heard knocking on the door. The knocking continued and he put a pillow over his head. The knocking got louder and he got out of bed. Half asleep, he walked to the door. He opened the door wide "Can't you let a guy...sleep?" He raised his eyebrow. No one was at the door. He looked up and down the hallway 'Must have been dreaming'. He looked down and saw a piece of paper. Frowning, he read the note. Putting on his clothes quickly, he walked out the door and headed toward the throne room  
  
***  
  
When he entered the throne room, there were a lot of people inside waiting. Most of them were half asleep and complaining about how early it was. Nathan walked up to a nobleman "Do you know what's going on?"  
  
He shook his head "I heard some knocking on my door this morning. I woke up and went to the door, but no one was there. All I saw was this note telling me to meet in the throne room."  
  
"That happened to me too. I wonder what's going on?"   
  
Setsuna walked into the room. She looked around to see if everyone was here. Seeing that everyone was here, she walked to the front of the room. No one noticed her until she asked for attention "Excuse me, may I have everyone's attention please?"  
  
Everyone stopped talking and looked to the front.   
  
"I'm sorry that I woke everyone up so early. I have a few things to say. The princesses of Uranus and Neptune are leaving later today so I would like to thank them for their visit."  
  
Haruka and Michiru stood and bowed to the applause of everyone present.   
  
As soon as the clapping stopped, she continued. "Now for my second announcement. Nathan, will you come over here please?"  
  
Nathan walked over to the princess. He raised an eyebrow towards Setsuna "What's doing on?"  
  
"Don't worry." Her hand slipped into his "I'm in love with Nathan."  
  
There was silence in the room. Nathan looked towards the crowd "It's true."  
  
A noble smiled and jumped in the air "I win! Everyone pay up."  
  
Everyone muttered and looked inside their pockets for money. They went to the smirking no  
  
Setsuna raised an eyebrow "You made a bet on this?"  
  
The noble nodded "Yes, I made a bet with the rest of the nobles. Forgive me, your majesty."  
  
Nathan's facial expression was a look of disbelief "I don't believe this. What were the odds?"  
  
"Nothing too big, just some pocket change."  
  
"Your meaning of pocket change is different from mine."  
  
He walked up to Nathan and put a hand on his shoulder. "It was either you or the butler."  
  
"You're kidding..."  
  
He shook his head "The bet doesn't mean anything, it was just for fun. We're really happy for the princess and for you."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
He shook hands with Nathan "You're welcome."  
  
***  
  
Nathan leaned against a tree in the garden. Picking up his sketchbook, he flipped open to a blank page and started to tap his pencil on the page. He looked around the garden to see if he could find anything interesting to sketch. Finding nothing, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.  
  
After a few hours, Setsuna was walking in the garden and saw Nathan sleeping against the tree. She couldn't help but smile, he looked so cute. She walked over to Nathan and kissed him on the cheek "Wake up sleepyhead."  
  
Nathan stirred a little "I don't want to go to school today."  
  
Setsuna raised an eyebrow and chuckled "Cute." She leaned over and kissed him on the lips.   
  
Nathan started to kiss her back. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him. Setsuna broke the kiss and caressed his face "Then you would have to stay home with me."  
  
"I wouldn't mind that at all." He yawned and stretched his arms.   
  
"What were you doing out here?"  
  
"I was going to do some sketches." He rubbed his eyes and looked around "It's been a while since I did some."  
  
"Can I take a look at them?"  
  
"Sure." He handed the sketchbook over to Setsuna. "Some of the drawings inside, they not very good."  
  
"I'll be the judge of that." She opened his sketchbook. The first picture was of a bird feeding it's young on a branch. She smiled and turned the page and looked at a picture of a little kitten.  
  
"The kitten followed me home one night. He acted like a guard dog and kept looking at the window. When it was morning, he was sleeping on a table so I drew a sketch of him."  
  
Setsuna flipped through the pages of his sketchbook, making a few comments whenever she saw something she liked. Her eyes stopped on an interesting picture. There was a knight kneeling down in the snow. His head was leaning on a hand. The rest of the body wasn't seen. There was some writing on the bottom. Setsuna tried to read it but it was ineligible.  
  
"Do you like it?"  
  
"Yes. You're very good. You're missing a picture, however."  
  
Nathan raised an eyebrow "I am?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Nathan put his hand under his chin and pretended to think for a moment "Stay there." He picked up his sketchbook and moved a few feet away from Setsuna. He opened the sketchbook to a blank page and looked around for a pencil.  
  
"It's beside you."  
  
Nathan looked at his side and picked up the pencil "Thanks." He put the pencil to the page and started to draw.* "It won't take very long."  
  
"OK."   
  
Nathan nodded and continued to draw in his sketchbook, looking at her every few seconds. After a few minutes, he stretched and his knuckles.  
  
"Almost done?"  
  
"Almost." He put the last touches on his sketch. He looked up to Sestina "You can take a look if you want."  
  
Sestina walked over to Nathan and looked over his shoulder to see the picture. The picture was of Sestina, but she wasn't in front of the tree. She was sitting on a stone, the sky was black and there a million stars behind her. She held a single rose in her hand.  
  
Nathan looked up at her "Do you like it?"  
  
"I love it." She looked down further on the page "What does that say?"  
  
"Princess of Pluto. A true goddess."  
  
Sestina looked at Nathan "You think I'm...?"  
  
Nathan nodded, a faint blush over his face. "You're more than that to me. You're very beautiful."  
  
Sestina looked at him "I..."  
  
Nathan put a finger to her lips. He got up and replaces his finger with his lips. The kiss lasted for a long time. When he broke the kiss, his voice was above a whisper "Never forget that."  
  
"I won't."  
  
End Chapter 9  
  
A/N: I know what you're thinking. "You took how long and we get this?!" Well, this is my first time writing romance. I'm trying to get used to it. Writer's block is very evil too.  
  
* This idea came from Mistal: The Poisoned One.   
  
** I read in a book that Pluto is the only senshi that isn't human. She's a goddess that looks over time. She's immortal.  
  
Song Used: Here With Me - Dido  
  
Lizzette Faith Reyes: Historical Romance?! You're talking about this story, right? Wow, I didn't know I was working this hard. I wanted to use Prof. Tomoe originally, but I thought he didn't suit this. Sorry.  
  
MingAmaya: Can I get some more hope from you? It looks like I'm going to need it to finish this story.  
  
Isis Aurora Tomoe: Computers are a pain but they're good, sometimes. You're forgiven, I hope you forgive me for taking so long.  
  
Mistal: The Poisoned One: *smiles* Why do I have the feeling that you use your innocent look a lot? Thanks for the idea and for your support.  
  
Guardian Neptune: Thanks. I'm not sure if I'm going to do that. I might use that idea in another story but not this one.   
  
Myst Lady: I'm a sucker for true love myself. It's a universal thing I guess. The shoutout will cost you though. I'm kidding...  
  
To the rest of the reviewers: *puts on blindfold* fire when ready!  
  
*crickets chirp*  
  
Black Ninja Star: *sighs in relief* That was close. Next time I won't take so long, I promise. R/R 


	11. Chapter 10

Eudial: Let's get this show on the road!  
  
Black Ninja Star: *sleeping on the computer desk*   
  
Eudial: Ninja Star, wake up! They want the next chapter!!   
  
Black Ninja Star: *mumbles* Just five more minutes mommy....   
  
Eudial: ^_^; hehe...here's chapter 10!   
  
Chapter 10   
  
Morning found Nathan sitting up on his bed. The same dream has been haunting him for the past 4 months. The odd thing about it was that the dream came back when he confessed his love to Setsuna. He would have shrugged it off as coincidence, but now the dream came back to him almost every night.   
  
He got up from his bed and paced the space between the door and his bed. 'I don't want to keep any secrets from her, but will she understand?'   
  
His thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. He walked over to the door and opened it.   
  
James was standing at the door "Good morning."   
  
"Morning, did you sleep well?"   
  
He nodded "Yourself?"   
  
"Can't complain. What are you doing here?"   
  
He handed Nathan a note "I was told to deliver it to you."   
  
"You know who sent it?"   
  
He shook his head "He just told me to give it to you. Then he left."   
  
Nathan nodded "Thanks."   
  
James nodded and walked down the hall.   
  
Nathan closed the door and looked at the note. 'Wonder who sent it?' He opened the note and read it "Guess I'll see what he wants." He picked up his jacket and opened the door.   
***   
Nathan walked into a bar a few minutes later. He walked over to the counter and took a seat.   
  
The bartender looked over to him while cleaning a glass "Want anything?"   
  
"Cider, please."   
  
The bartender nodded and went to get it.   
  
Nathan turned around in his seat and looked around in the bar. The bar was half full but it was very noisy 'Where is he?' He looked at the clock on the wall and sighed.   
  
A man silently walked into the vacant seat on Nathan's left "Sorry I'm late."   
  
"About time you got here. I was beginning to wonder what happened to you."   
  
The man looked at him and shook his head "I won't bother. You'll always be the same old Nathan."   
  
Nathan smiled "Glad you realized it. How are you, Charles?"   
  
"Same old stuff." He turned around to face the counter "How was the ball that you went to a few months ago?"   
  
"Boring. The same stuffy nobles and ladies trying to suck up to the king and queen. I wouldn't waste my time with them."   
  
"The princess?"   
  
"Declared my love to her. Said she loved me and now we're a couple."   
  
The bartender returned a few minutes later and put a glass of cider beside Nathan. He looked at Charles "Want anything?"   
  
"Beer, please."   
  
The bartender nodded and went to the other side of the counter.   
  
Charles patted Nathan on the shoulder "Congratulations. Your parents would be proud."   
  
Nathan nodded and continued to drink his cider. He put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a ring and sighed "Yeah, maybe."   
  
Charles whistled and picked up his beer "Beautiful ring. Who is it for?"   
  
"Setsuna, I want to propose to her."   
  
"What!?" Charles spat out most of his beer and looked at Nathan "You want to propose to her?"   
  
"Yes."   
  
"You're serious?"   
  
Nathan nodded.   
  
"Next time don't scare me like that. The beer might be in your face and not dripping on the counter."   
  
"Sorry."   
  
Charles wiped off beer from his nose "Seems you've fallen very hard for her."   
  
"Yeah, everything seems better when I'm with her." He smiled and looked at the ring "I want to make sure it stays like that."   
  
"It will." He patted Nathan on the shoulder "I wish you the best of luck."   
  
"Thank you. It means a lot coming from you"   
  
"You're welcome."   
***   
A few hours later they left the bar and started walking. Nathan put his hands in his pockets and looked down at the ground.  
  
Charles looked at Nathan "Something's wrong. Tell me."   
  
Nathan shook his head and continued walking.   
  
"You know you can talk to me about anything, Nathan. I know something's wrong. Tell me."  
  
"Nothing's wrong."   
  
Charles walked in front of Nathan and stopped him "If I was wrong, you wouldn't be saying anything. Something is bothering you. What's wrong?"   
  
Nathan never broke his gaze with the ground. His answer was barely heard "It came back."   
  
Charles looked at his with confusion "What came back?"   
  
Nathan looked at him "The dream."   
  
"When was the last time you had that dream?"   
  
"Last night."   
  
"That's weird."  
  
"It is. The odd thing about it is the dream came back a few weeks after I declared my love for her. Do you think it means anything?"  
  
"Coincidence. It's probably a fear that you might lose her."   
  
"Maybe, but it seems a bit weird, don't you think?"   
  
"I don't know. Could it mean something?"  
  
"I just think it's a coincidence, a very odd one. Don't worry about it, ok?"   
  
Nathan nodded and continued walking down the street "If you say so."   
  
"You have been through this before, you'll be fine."  
  
"Yeah, I have." Nathan wrung his hands together and looked at his fingers. "It will be like last time. Nothing will---" He accidentally bumped into a man.  
  
"Watch where you're going." The man turned around and glared at Nathan. When the man saw him, the glare disappeared into a very evil smile "Look what we have here. Came back for more?"   
  
Nathan turned pale and started to sweat 'Not him' He started to shake his head.   
  
"I can oblige you." His fist went toward his face.  
  
Charles blocked the punch with his hand "Back off."   
  
The man grabbed Charles's forearm and twisted it. Charles held back a scream and tried to fight off the pain. Seeing the advantage he had, he punched Charles in the face. Charles dropped down to his knees. Charles growled, but was quickly silenced to a kick to the head.   
  
Nathan was looking at the confrontation. His body was paralyzed with fear. When he saw Charles get knocked out with that kick to the head, something snapped. He looked at the man with rage "You made the same mistake again. You never learn."   
  
"You can't be protected all your life, you know what you did."   
  
Nathan's fist landed on the man's stomach. The man doubled over in pain and groaned. Nathan landed a left to his jaw and the man howled in pain.   
  
He tasted blood in his mouth. He growled, looked up at Nathan and kicked him in the shins. Nathan hopped around on one foot. He kicked his other foot and Nathan fell. While he was falling, Nathan was punched in the face. Nathan cried out and held his face in pain. The man punched him repeatedly in his stomach.   
  
Charles slowly opened his eyes. He heard someone screaming but he couldn't recognize who it was. The pain from the kick to his head made him lose focus. He looked around and saw Nathan doubled over in pain. He groped around blindly on the ground. He felt a rock in his hands. He waited for a minute to see where the screams were coming from 'Hope this works'. He threw it in the direction of the screams.*  
  
The rock hit the side of his stomach. He grunted in surprise and clutched the side of his stomach.   
  
"Run!"  
  
Nathan removed his hands from his face "What?"  
  
"Run! I'll deal with him. Go!"  
  
He hesitated then got up and moved away from him. The man noticed this and grabbed his foot. Nathan tried to shake the hand off his, but his grip was too strong. He felt nails digging into his skin. He kicked him in the face and shook off his hand from his leg.   
  
Charles ran over to where they were and tackled the man. He pinned him to the ground and held his hands at his sides. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. Go!"  
  
Nathan turned around and ran.  
***  
  
He ran all the to the castle. He stopped at the door and pounded at the door. Tears ran from his eyes as he leaned against the door "Please, someone open the door."  
  
The door opened and Setsuna was standing behind the door. She gasped at the sight that was in front of her. He was a bloody mess, with a black eye and blood seeping through his clothing. He stumbled into Setsuna's arms and cried. Setsuna wrapped her arms around him and stroked his hair "It's ok, Nathan. Just cry."  
  
End Chapter 10   
  
A/N: This was the hardest chapter to write. This isn't the chapter I wanted to write. There is some stuff missing that will be placed in the next chapter. I had so many ideas going through my head but I couldn't find the words to describe them.   
  
* Reference to Daredevil comic book. A rather cool super hero that's blind and all his other senses are enhanced.  
  
Myst Lady: Yeah, the more exposure I get the more comfortable I will feel writing this. SM Crossovers is very dry right now. I will do the fic and the challenge as soon as I find time. Thanks for the support.  
  
Isis Aurora Tomoe: It's like she's trying to talk to me, I know it. Who doesn't like that movie?!   
My favourite part is when Dory was trying to talk whale. It's so funny! I hope this is much sooner for you.  
  
Guardian Neptune: *looks up Bravour in dictionary* I hope this is fast enough.  
  
The Plutoian: Thanks. Hope this is fast enough  
  
Mistal: The Poisoned One: *nods* I believe you. You sound like a very big girl with that review. You deserve a cookie. *hands you one*  
  
R/R   
  



	12. Chapter 11

Nathan: ::walks up toward me:: I have a bone to pick with you!!  
  
Black Ninja Star: ::backs away slowly:: err.....hehe.... can't we talk this out?  
  
Nathan: No. I'm sick and tired of being beaten up. I will get my revenge.  
  
Black Ninja Star: Really now? How are you going to get revenge?  
  
Nathan: I will tell the ending.  
  
Black Ninja Star: oh no...   
  
Nathan: ::smirks and takes a deep breath:: The story ends with-------  
  
Black Ninja Star: ::runs over and duct tapes his mouth:: shut Here's chapter 11!!  
  


Chapter 11  


Note: () = dream sequences  


* * *

It was dark. A little boy was on his hands and knees. He was softly weeping "Mommy, daddy, please come back."  
  
"They won't come back. It's all your fault, you killed them."  
  
"No I didn't!" He looked up. 'No one there'   
  
"You killed them Nathan, you know it." A man walked up toward him "You're a murderer."  
  
"No, I didn't do it." The tears started to fall from his eyes "Why won't you believe me?"  
  
"Your hands say it. Murderer...."  
  
Nathan looked at his hands with horror "No, I didn't do this...." He closed his eyes "The blood's not there, it's not there....."  
  
He pointed his finger to Nathan "Murderer, murderer, murderer...." He kept saying it over and over. More voices joined him. .  
  
Nathan opened his eyes. There was no one else expect him "I'm innocent, why won't you believe me?"  
  
"Murderer, murderer, murderer."  
  
Nathan put his hands over his ears "Please stop. I didn't do anything! Please stop it!!"  
  
"I believe you, everything will be ok."  
  
Nathan felt a hand on his shoulder, softly caressing it. The voice was soothing, comforting "I believe you, everything will be all right."  
  
Nathan stirred in his sleep. He felt something cold on his forehead and it was softly caressing it. His hand reached up to touch it and it was connected to a hand. He started to panic "No more, please! No more!"  
  
"I won't hurt you."  
  
His voice was shaky but he didn't open his eyes "I don't believe you."  
  
"Open your eyes, then."  
  
Nathan opened his eyes and found himself staring into garnet ones. They were begging for him to understand "Setsuna..."  
  
"Shh..." She continued to clean the cuts on his body "I will never hurt you."  
  
"I know, I'm sorry." He looked away "It was....I thought..."  
  
"You thought what?"  
  
The images from the nightmare temporarily flashed through his mind. He shivered "It's...nothing. Don't worry."  
  
She nodded and continued cleaning his forehead "If you say so."  
  
He nodded and propped himself on one arm and winced. He looked at his arm and saw the cuts were already bandaged. He continued looking for a brief second and sat up. The pain raced through his body and he closed his eyes "What happened...."  
  
"After you collapsed in my arms? You cried. For a long time. After a while, it looked like you passed out but you were really sleeping.With some help, I carried you up to my room."  
  
He nodded "I'm sorry."  
  
Setsuna looked at him with a question in her eyes "For what?"  
  
'How do I tell her?' He avoided her eyes and looked down "Dragging you through this...." He sighed and didn't complete the sentence.   
  
Setsuna sat down on the bed and kissed his cheek "Don't be." She lifted his chin so her eyes met his "I'm here for you. I always will be. You must realize that. As long as we're in love, I'll stand by you."  
  
He nodded as a tear slowly rolled down his face . He sniffed and quickly brushed away the tear.   
Setsuna took his hand and caressed it "I'll be back in a few hours. Are you going to be okay by yourself?"  
  
A soft reply "Yeah, I'll be ok."  
  
She nodded and gently squeezed his hand "Ok." She kissed his lips softly and left the room.   
  
He put his hand in his pocket and took out the ring. He looked at it for a moment and put it back 'I'll tell her. Not now, but eventually.'  
  


* * *

"Something is bothering him. I can see it in his eyes."  
  
"Do you think it's connected with him being beaten up?"  
  
Setsuna sighed and looked into her tea "I don't know. but he doesn't want to talk about it. Mom, I'm scared, this is very serious."  
  
Her mom picked up the cup of tea "Maybe...he has his reasons for not telling you. I think he doesn't want you to get involved in this problem. He doesn't want to see you get hurt." She took a sip and made a face "They didn't put enough sugar in this."  
  
"I'm worried about him. It's not like him to be so fearful." A tear fell into the cup. "When I was bandaging his wounds, he was sleeping, he kept screaming 'No more! Please, no more!' He didn't believe that I was going to hurt him until I told him to open his eyes. If this happens again, he might be dead."  
  
"Then talk to him about it. Tell him that you are concerned about his safety. Ask him what's wrong."  
  
"That's the thing." Her eyes were burning with tears, but she brushed them back "I'm afraid to ask him."  
  
Her mother got up from the chair and went over to Setsuna. She put a hand on her shoulder "He's going to get hurt if you don't. Don't force it out, otherwise you'll never know."  
  
"But----"  
  
"No buts." She moved in front of her and lifted her chin so her eyes met hers "Setsuna, I've seen you and him in the castle.. You seem so happy. You don't want to lose that because of an question you didn't ask now, do you?"  
  
Setsuna didn't answer.  
  
"Think about it." She walked away, leaving Setsuna to her thoughts.  
  


* * *

'Run! I'll deal with him'   
  
The thought echoed in his mind. Nathan got up from his bed and walked towards the window. He looked outside.   
  
'Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. Just go!'  
  
'I hope you're ok.' He closed his eyes as a tear ran down his cheek. He quickly brushed it away and continued looking outside.  
  
Setsuna opened the door and quietly closed it. She walked into the room and sat down on the bed. She watched Nathan silently, trying to find the right way to ask the question.  
  
Nathan didn't notice Setsuna coming inside the room. He was too deep in his thoughts. He ran his hand through his hair and sighed.  
  
'You can't be protected all your life, you know what you did.'  
  
He clenched his free hand into a fist and sighed "But I didn't do it."  
  
"Didn't do what?"  
  
Nathan turned around and look surprised when he saw Setsuna sitting on his bed. "I didn't know you were here."  
  
"I didn't want to disturb you. What's wrong?"  
  
Nathan turned around and looked back outside. He didn't want to talk about it. He tried to change the subject "The view up here is beautiful. I should do a sketch of it someday."  
  
Setsuna walked up to Nathan and put her arm around his waist. Her voice was soft but it was firm "What's wrong?"  
  
Nathan shook his head "I don't want to talk about it."  
  
"I don't want to see you unhappy." Setsuna put his hand on Nathan cheek "You haven't been the same since you ran in here a few hours ago. You're closing yourself to your emotions and you're shutting me out in the process."  
  
Nathan looked at Setsuna. His eyes were full of rage "I don't want you to get involved."  
  
"Whether you like it or not, I'm involved. I'm part of your life, Nathan. I'm the one that sees the result of whatever happens to you, no one else.Why won't you tell me what's wrong?"  
  
"Because it's in the past." He walked away from her "At least I thought it was." He sighed "I thought this was dead and buried. I never expected it to come back."  
  
"What?"  
  
"My parent's deaths. They were murdered when I was three. One night, there was a huge storm outside and I went into their bedroom. I asked them if I could come into their bed, but they didn't answer. I went over to my mom's side and I asked her to move over."  
  
Setsuna nodded.  
  
Nathan's voice started to crack "They didn't move so I shouted at them to wake up. I didn't know that they were dead. I crawled into their bed and fell asleep. In the morning, there was a knock the door. I went over and opened it. There was our neighbour who heard some shouting the night before. I didn't know that there was some blood on my hands. He noticed and accused me of murdering my parents. I tried to bring him inside to see what was wrong with my parents, but he started screaming 'Murderer, Murderer!' A whole crowd gathered around my house and started to shout the same thing. I started crying and kept saying 'I didn't do anything, can someone help my parents?' One person came over and hit me at the back of the head."  
  
Setsuna said nothing, she was at a loss for words.   
  
"When I came to, the crowd was gone except for this little four year old boy. He took me over to his house, then a woman walked up to me and looked shocked. She wasn't part of the crowd but she knew who I was. She said 'I believe you, don't worry. You can stay with me.' I did stay with her and became friends with the kid. After a while, he was killed in an accident. I became friends with the woman's nephew. He was the one that convinced me to take the job here."  
  
Setsuna nodded "You mean...?"  
  
"The name of the kid was John. The nephew's name was Charles. Earlier today, he told me to run to the castle. He would take care of the guy that was beating me up." He started to cry softly "I don't know if he's ok."  
  
Setsuna walked over to Nathan and brushed the tears away from his face."He did this so you can have a better life, away from all those people. I'm sure he's fine. He wanted to make sure that you were safe."  
  
Nathan nodded  
  
"You have a better life. You have a wonderful job, and people that care about you. You have me, and I love you. The past is just that. It can't hurt you. All you have now is the present and the future."  
  
"But----"  
  
"They can't never take that away from you. I won't let them." She kissed his cheek "Will you?"  
  
Nathan shook his head.   
  
"Good." She pulled him into a hug "I'm glad."  
  
He returned the hug.  
  
End chapter 11  


* * *

A/N: This was hard. School and other things prevented me from writing this chapter. I was on the verge of deleting it from but I decided against it. 

Guardian Neptune: You are a clown. A really big clown. You know what... I have nothing to say. Thanks for the review though...

Myst Lady: I know he didn't deserve it, but I thought it would work well..

Nathan: ::nods and mumbles something through the tape::

Black Ninja Star: And it seems that Nathan agrees with you. I'll try not to pick on him too much in the future. Besides, he gets his in the next chapter. Thanks for the support.

Isis Aurora Tomoe: I think so too. Whoever doesn't like her doesn't have a heart. I'm sorry I have taken so long with this chapter.  
  
Mistal: The Poisoned One: Ok, that just proves how mature you are.... Of course I want to keep this PG. I don't want to expose people to things. Or else, eh? Or else what?  
  
::takes the tape off Nathan::  
  
Nathan: I'm going to tell everyone....  
  
Black Ninja Star: You can't.  
  
Nathan: Why not?  
  
Black Ninja Star: You don't know the ending. I don't know the ending. So you have nothing to tell  
  
Nathan: Dammit!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon or any of the songs I use in here. I do own Nathan, but I'm thinking of selling him to the highest bidder.  
  
Nathan: Hey!   
  
Black Ninja Star: If you don't behave, I will sell you. R/R


	13. Chapter 12

Eudial: The reviewers want more.

Black Ninja Star: ::nods::

Eudial: You must give them what they want.

Black Ninja Star: I guess... I must be doing something right. Look at all the reviews...

Eudial: Yeah, you might even become a professional writer and work at Harequlin.

Black Ninja Star: .....I'm not that good.

Eudial: Here's chapter 12

Note: Quite possibly, the sappiest chapter in this story....

Chapter 12

Morning dawned. Nathan slowly opened his eyes and stretched. He looked around the room 'What happened? This doesn't look like my....' He looked on the bed and he saw a woman lying down beside him. His heartbeat tripled and he mumbled a prayer "Please let it not be who I think it is..."

Setsuna opened her eyes "Good morning Nathan."

"Morning. Where am I?"

"You're in my bedroom."

'Oh no....' A light blush started to form on his face "Um.... did we.."

Setsuna propped her head on her hand. She had a small smile on her face, but said nothing.

"Did we...do... it?"

"No."

Nathan sighed in relief. Then he scratched his head "Then what are you doing in the bed beside me?"

"You fell asleep in my bed. I didn't have the heart to wake you up. You looked so adorable."

Nathan blushed a little "Thank you, I guess.."

Setsuna moved closer to him and tapped his nose "You're welcome..." She kissed him softly.

'Reflecting how I feel for you

thinking about those people then

I know that in a thousand years

I'd fall in love with you again'

Nathan returned the kiss and caressed her back "What did I do to deserve you?"

"You became a painter."

Nathan chuckled.

"Seriously, you're just you." She caressed his face "And I love you for that."

"I love you too." He leaned in to give a quick kiss on her cheek. He sat up on the bed.

Setsuna wrapped his arms around his waist "Come back to bed."

Nathan looked down at her "I wish I could, but I have to talk to someone." He swung his legs toward the edge of the bed. "I'll be back soon." He got off the bed and walked toward the door.

Nathan walked down the hallway. He put his hand inside his pocket and felt the ring in his hand. He breathed a sigh of relief. 'If I could find the courage....' He put his hand on the doorknob and closed his eyes. He opened the door and looked inside.

"Blue or purple, sire?"

"The purple. After all, it's her favourite colour."

The man nodded "Your underwear will be made in a week, sir. I'll come by later to do the measurements."

The king waved him off "You can go now."

The man picked up the fabrics and walked towards Nathan "Excuse me." He bumped him on his way out.

"Wow, you're nice." His voice was laced with sarcasm.

The king's voice interrupted the little confrontation "Come on in. Don't be shy."

Nathan walked into the throne room and bowed before the king.

"Nathan, it's good to see you. What do you need?"

"Uhh..." Nathan cleared his throat "I would like to talk you about Setsuna."

"She hasn't been causing any trouble now, has she?"

Nathan shook his head "No sir. I would like to a request."

"You seem very serious about this, go on."

"I...." He swallowed a lump in his throat "I would like to marry your daughter."

"Hmm..." The king stroked his chin.

"I know you probably have your reasons to say no and I understand. However, I have fallen in love with your daughter. From the first time I saw her, I felt something. I feel so lucky whenever I'm with her. I know she feels the same."

There was silence in the room. Nathan continued.

"I understand if you say no. However, I feel that I had to do this before I proposed to her."

'Suddenly you're in my life

part of everything I do

you got me working day and night

just trying to keep a hold on you'

"A very wise decision, young man. If I found this out later, I would have killed you. However, I was young once. I was pretty much like you, except I had royalty in my blood. I have seen the way you looked at Setsuna in passing and I know its real. You may marry my daughter."

Nathan's heart leapt in his throat "Really, your highest?"

"However, if you hurt my daughter in any way, I will castrate you myself."

Nathan gulped hard.

"You don't even want to find out what my wife will do to you if you hurt her. Do you understand?"

Nathan turned pale and voice suddenly became high "Yes, sire." 'Now I know how his servants feel..'

The king nodded "You may go."

Nathan bowed and left.

"When can I open my eyes?"

"Very soon, don't worry." Nathan was leading Setsuna by her hand "Its a surprise and I want to keep it that way."

"Ooh, I like surprises."

Nathan nodded "I'm sure you'll like this one. You can open your eyes now."

Setsuna opened her eyes. She was staring at a picture of herself wearing a long white dress. Angel wings flowed freely from her back. The thing that caught her eye was where her hand was. Her hand was pressed against by a head. Setsuna looked at Nathan. "I am guessing the lowly mortal is you."

Nathan pretended to look shocked "What are you implying?"

Setsuna walked up to him and put her arms around his neck "Nothing." She kissed him softly.

Nathan kissed her back softly and wrapped his arms around her waist "What do you think?"

'Here in your arms I found my paradise

My only chance for happiness

and if I lose you now I think I would die'

"I love it."

"Good." He kissed her hair.

Setsuna caressed his face "Now this can't be the reason why you brought me down to your studio, can it?"

"Maybe" Nathan smirked a little.

"Don't get all mysterious on me. I've known you for a long time now" Setsuna held his chin. "Now, why did you bring me here?"

"To ask you a question."

Setsuna could feel the uneasiness in his answer. She spoke in a softer voice "Go ahead."

Nathan took her hand "You haven't known me for a long time, but for me it feels like I've known you all my life. Words cannot describe how much I love you, Setsuna. Even if I tried, they would fall short."

Setsuna smiled and started to caresses his hand with her thumb "Keep going."

Nathan was starting to get more confident "You have become a part of my life, and I don't want that to change. I don't know what the future holds but I want you in it." He bent down on one knee

'Say you'll always be my baby

we can make it shine

We can take forever

just a minute at a time'

Setsuna gasped "Are you....?"

Nathan looked into two garnet eyes, the same eyes that made him fall in love "Meioh Setsuna, will you marry me?"

"Yes." She bent down to hug him. "I will marry you."

Nathan returned the hug "Really?"

"Yes. I mean it. Its something about you...I love you so much." She put her arms around her shoulder.

Nathan smiled "I love you so much too." He took the ring out of his pocket and put it on her finger.

'More than a woman

More than a woman to me'

"I'm so lucky."

A/N: There is chapter 12 for you. A very interesting chapter to write

Song: More Than A Woman - The Bee Gees (Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack)

Eudial: Let's play stump the author! Name the part tthat stumped Black Ninja Star!

Mistal: The Posioned One: ::waves hand::: Oh! I know! I know! It was the proposal!!

Eudial: Correct! It would have been out sooner but she couldn't think of a decent one.

Mistal: The Posioned One: What do I win?

Eudial: A cookie ::hands it to Mistal::

Mistal: :takes it and eats it::

mystlady: Aww, thank you! I know the last chapter was extremely hard on Nathan, but he gets the limelight on this chapter. I am releasing that little creative mind of mine.

Guardian Neptune: Thank you, I hope this is fast enough!

Mistal: The Poisoned One: ::raises an eyebrow:: Umm... Eudial, how do you fight an army of squirrels?

Eudial: Use an army of nuts?

Black Ninja Star: Ok, that will work.

Eudial: ::reads the rest::: I didn't know she was into that kind of stuff.

Black Ninja Star: ::reads the rest:: eep... :: goes pale and faints:::

Eudial: Yeah, that chapter was sad. Almost had to take a tissue there myself. Yes, we must keep this PG. There are a few of these fics around. We have to keep Pluto's legacy alive! We're not too sure about Black Ninja Star, though.

Black Ninja Star: :::holds a sign:: R/R:

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to Mistal: The Poisoned One. She celebrated her birthday on Nov. 4. Hope it was fun.


	14. Chapter 13

Eudial: Ok, how many chapters are left?

Black Ninja Star: Not counting the epilogue?

Eudial: Yes.

Black Ninja Star: This chapter included, right?

Eudial: Yep.

Black Ninja Star: um...carry the two, the nine cancels out...find the square root...

Eudial::blinks: wrong question to ask...here's chapter 13

Chapter 13

"You saw him?"

"Yes." He picked up the beer "He was going to ask the King about something."

"Hmm..." He scratched his chin "Do you think it was anything serious?"

"Considering the way he was acting... I doubt it."

"Did he recognize you?"

He shook his head and ordered another beer "Too preoccupied with whatever he was thinking about."

"Good. He might tell the king and that might ruin everything."

The bartender put the beer on his counter. He picked it up "We don't want that to happen."

The other man looked a bit uneasy "What about..."

"His friend? What about him?"

He took a sip "What should we do about him then?"

"Same thing we did with the son."

He put his hand in his pocket to pay for the beer, but was stopped.

"It's on me."

Nathan was busy working on a sketch in the studio when he heard a knock on the door. He stopped working on the sketch and opened the door.

James was standing at the doorway "Congratulations on your proposal, Nathan."

"Thank---"He paused "How do you know?"

"It's a small kingdom."

"I have noticed."

James cleared his throat "Anyway, the queen has requested to see you."

"At this moment, James?"

"Yes. It seems she has heard about your proposal and she wants to talk to you. Come with me." He started walking down the corridor

Nathan sighed "So much for getting work done."

Nathan stood at the door of the queen's chamber. He was very nervous and rubbed his hands together. He made his hand into a fist and stopped short of knocking.

James was leaning against the wall in the corridor "What are you so scared of?"

Nathan looked at him "I'm not scared."

"If you are not scared, how come you are still out here?"

"Um…" Nathan looked at the floor nervously and scratched his head "I was admiring the nice artwork of the walls and the ceiling." He looked at the walls and the ceiling of the hallway

James looked at him "There's nothing on the wall or the ceiling."

"Are you sure? I swore I saw…"

"Knock on the door and stop acting like a nervous kid." James folded his arms across his chest

Nathan nodded and knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" The voice was muffled by the wooden door

"It's Nathan, your highness. You wanted to talk to me about something?"

There was some movement behind the door and the sound of a lock loosened "Yes I did want to talk to you. Please come in"

Nathan opened the door and walked inside the chamber. He looked around nervously and put his hands inside his jacket pockets.

"Please, have a seat on the bed. I'll be out in a minute."

Nathan walked toward the bed and sat down on it. He took his hands out of his pockets and put them on the bed.

The queen walked out of the bathroom in a light green bathrobe. She was wearing her hair out and it gently flowed over her shoulders and down her back. As soon as she stepped out the bathroom, Nathan stood up and bowed before her. "Nathan, this isn't necessary."

Nathan stopped bowing and stood still. "I'm sorry, your majesty."

The queen chuckled "You may sit down again."

Nathan sat down quickly.

The queen sat down beside him "I have heard about your plans to marry my only daughter."

Nathan nodded.

"You have thought this through?"

"Y..Yes your majesty. I have thought this through and I want to spend the rest of my life with her."

The queen nodded and got off the bed "Do you know the responsibilities that you are going to have when you marry her?"

"No, I don't my queen."

"When you marry my daughter, you will become next in line for the throne of Pluto. You will become a prince and some of the powers we have will be delegated toward you."

Nathan looked surprised "Really?"

The queen nodded "Are you scared?"

Nathan shook his head

It was her turn to look surprised and mumbled something along the lines of "Odd, this usually scared the other suitors…" She cleared her throat "Have you decided a date for the wedding?"

"I haven't decided on a date yet."

"I see. How about three days from now?"

"That's fine with me, your majesty."

She smiled "The tailor will be here to take your measurements tomorrow. You don't want to be married in that now, do you?" She made a gesture with her hand toward the outfit he was wearing.

Nathan looked at the clothes he was wearing "No I don't."

The queen nodded "The tailor will come for your measurements tomorrow in the afternoon."

Nathan got off the bed and prepared to leave "I will be there." He opened the door and his hand just touched the doorknob to close it when he heard the queen's voice.

"Congratulations."

Nathan smiled and closed the door.

Run, Running all the time

Running to the future

With you by my side

Nathan lay down in the garden. He put his hands behind his head and looked at the night sky. The sky was illuminated only by the stars and Pluto's nearby moon, Charon. He never felt this happy in his whole life. Looking back over the events that happened, he wondered if it was fate that brought him to the castle and if he would have survived. He closed his eyes as a tear ran down his cheek 'I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for her.'

Me, I'm the one you chose

Out of all the people

You wanted me the most

He felt a finger wipe away the tear and opened his eyes. He found himself staring into garnet ones "You found me."

Setsuna sat down beside him "I did. Why were you crying?"

Nathan shifted his body so his head was in Setsuna's lap "A thought."

She ran her hand through his hair "Do you want to talk about it?"

He shivered slightly, but slowly relaxed "I was wondering where I would have been if I didn't meet you."

She nodded.

"I don't want to talk about that though." He turned his head and looked at the sky "You always look at the stars when you're a little child, but they don't mean anything until you're grown up. I wonder why."

We're running, as fast as we can

Do you think we'll make it?

"It's something you supposed to share with someone." She lay down on the ground, resting her head on his chest. Nathan straightened out his position and she continued "When you're a kid, you always want the world to revolve around you. When you become an adult and you found a special someone you want to spend the rest of your life with, you want them to be part of their world, and it's no longer about you."

Nathan nodded and kissed her hair. He pointed to the sky "Look, a shooting star."

Setsuna smiled "Make a wish."

Nathan nodded and closed his eyes. He opened them after a few seconds "you make one.'

She shook her head and closed her eyes. After a few seconds, she opened them and looked at the stars.

"Do wishes come true?"

Setsuna looked at him "How do you think I got you?" She snuggled into him and watched the stars.

We're running, keep holding my hand

It's so we don't get separated

Nathan smiled and looked at the stars. He mumbled something under his breath "It's so wonderful, I hope this doesn't fall apart."

End Chapter 13

Song Used: No Doubt - Running

Black Ninja Star: Don't get mad. I've been trying so hard to get this chapter out, but the one thing that kept giving me problems was the end. I had the idea, but no words came to mind, and when it did, it was one or two words, not a whole sentence.

Emperor Sidious: Popcorn::eats some: Thanks for the support and the popcorn.

Mistal: The Poisoned One::winces: umm….I know I have no excuse for this, but I hope it didn't take too long.

Eudial: It took 3 months for you to update

Black Ninja Star: I know, you're welcome about the cookie, and I wasn't planning on attacking the army of squirrels. If I was, I would keep an army of owls. I would just feed them.

Eudial: Now, you have to answer my question. How many chapters are left in this story?

Black Ninja Star: 2 or 3 including epilogue.

Eudial: That many?

Black Ninja Star: I don't want to drag it out.

Eudial: You don't want it to become a cliché.

Black Ninja Star: That too. I'm also going to put out 1 or 2 stories soon since this is winding down. Check them out. R/R


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Nathan stirred as he felt something peck at his ear. He opened one eye and looked around; trying to see what poked him. He saw a little bird not too far away from him. He smiled softly and watched as the bird pecked at the ground and flew away. He moved his hand to cover a yawn, and then looked down at Setsuna who was sleeping peacefully on his chest. He planted a soft kiss on her hair "Its morning, love."

Setsuna's eyes fluttered open at the sound of his voice and she stretched "Already?"

He nodded "I know. Time is no friend for a lover."

She kissed his cheek and stood up, brushing her dress to get rid of any grass that stuck on it. "Since when did you become a poet, love?"

"Any artist is inspired by the beauty that surrounds them. In my case, the beauty that inspires me is you."

She smiled and walked up to him. He took a step closer and caressed her face "I love you."

"I love you too." She planted a soft kiss on his lips

Nathan put his arm around her shoulder "We should go inside."

Setsuna nodded and wrapped her arm around his waist. They started walking toward a side entrance. He caressed her shoulder as she pulled him closer "I'm so lucky."

Nathan smiled as they walked up to the door. He opened the door and stood beside it "Ladies first."

"Charmer." She walked through the door,

"Only for you." Nathan walked through the door and closed it. He took her hand and they walked down the hallway. Setsuna intertwined their fingers and smiled when his arm went around her shoulder. They continued walking down the hallway, make small talk once in a while, but otherwise enjoying their company.

James was waiting at the other end of the hallway. When they approached him, he bowed before Setsuna. "How was your evening, princess?"

"It was wonderful."

"Good." He turned to Nathan "The royal tailor is waiting for you, Nathan."

He nodded "Where is he?"

"He is in the parlour room." He bowed and walked away.

Nathan nodded and kissed Setsuna's cheek "I must be going, then."

"I will see you later, then."

"Bye." He kissed her hand and walked away

Nathan walked up to the parlour room. He turned the knob "Hmm…locked." He knocked on the door.

A muffled voice was heard from behind the door "Who is it?"

"It's Nathan, you wanted to see me?"

"Yes I did, please give me a minute." There was some rustling behind the door. The door was opened and the tailor stood in the doorway.

"Oh no….." He backed up and walked away. "Not you."

"What's the matter?"

"You bumped into me over a month ago. I'm not letting a prick like you take my measurements."

"Listen, Nathan. I maybe a prick, but I'm also the best. Now you have a choice: let me take your measurements, or explain to the queen why you made advances on me."

Nathan's eyes went dark "You wouldn't."

"Believe me, I can and I will if you don't co-operate."

'Well, I'm not going to win this, might as well.' "Fine, you win." He walked through the door and inside the room.

The tailor walked over to a box and pulled out some measuring tape. He also pulled out something else and put in his pocket. He turned around "Please take off your clothes save for your underwear."

Nathan nodded and proceeded to take off his shirt. He took off his undershirt and mumbled under his breath "Why couldn't she have asked my size instead?"

"She wanted this to be special, one of a kind. Also, I can hear you."

He cursed under his breath, continuing to undress. Soon he was in underwear and shivering "Does it have to be cold?"

He didn't respond and walked toward him. He stretched out the tape "Stretch your arms as far as you can."

Nathan complied and stretched his arms. The tailor stretched the tape and measured his arms and shoulders. He wrote down something on a piece of paper. He bent down and measured his side from his armpit down to his ankle. Writing something down quickly, he stood up and measured his waist.

Nathan looked at him "Almost done?"

"Yes, I am. Don't worry." He measured his chest. Afterwards, he rolled up the measurement tape and moved away from him "Now, was that so hard?"

"No." He turned his back toward him and started to put on his clothes.

"Good." He put the tape away and pulled out some wire. He stretched it out and started to walk toward Nathan.

Nathan finished putting on his pants and stood up when he saw a straight line in front of him "What the…"

The tailor pulled the wire around his neck and started to choke him. Nathan clawed frantically around his neck. The pressure increased and he started to choke, slowing down his hand movement. He turned around and kicked him in his stomach.

The tailor doubled over, moving away from him. Nathan removed the wire from around his neck "I was right." He walked toward him and kicked him in the face. The tailor fell down and landed on his back. He put his foot on his chest "Who sent you?"

He panted and tried to move his foot from his chest.

He moved his foot to his neck "Answer me! Who sent you?"

He started choking, scratching his leg hard. It started to bleed, but Nathan didn't care. He increased the pressure and he started to turn blue. He took off his foot and picked him up and held him in the air "You fucking coward." He threw him on the ground "Get out! If you come here again, I'll kill you."

He got up and scrambled toward the door. He opened and closed it in a rush.

A man was sitting behind the desk, his legs propped up on a desk. He held a drink in his hand and sipped it from time to time. He heard a knock on the door "Enter."

A man stumbled into the door and closed it. He looked at him "Is it done?"

"No, he was too strong."

He bolted up in his seat. Eyes were filled with rage "What?"

He looked down "He was too strong."

The man got up from his seat and walked over to him "You had an advantage and you wasted it."

"It wasn't my fault. I---"

He grabbed his throat "You had all this information about him. You couldn't complete a simple task. I'm very disappointed in you." He started to choke him, increasing the pressure.

The other man clawed at his hands, trying to loosing the grip, but it continued to get tighter "I'm sorry."

"I can't accept failure. That was your only chance." He snapped his neck and let go of the body. It fell to the ground in a heap. He opened the door and pointed to someone "Can you please show him out?" He walked to his desk and picked up his glass and sighed "If you want something done, you have to do it yourself."

End Chapter 14


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 15

Nathan's heart was beating at a rapid pace. He panted as he tried to calm down and make some sense of the situation. One minute he was getting measured for some clothing, and the next minute he had to fight for his life. He ran his finger through his hair and the sudden thought hit him 'Someone wants me dead.'

He looked at his leg and saw the trail of blood flow slowly down his leg. With his pant leg, he wiped some of it off and walked out the room.

He looked outside the window as he held the drink in his hand. Walking toward his desk, he put the glass on the table and caressed the top of the rim with his finger. He .

A knock on the door broke him out of his state. "Enter."

One of his men opened the door "Mr. Drake is here to see you, sir. He has the equipment you asked for."

"Send him in."

"That is not going to be possible, sir. He is currently setting up in the backyard." He looked uneasy. He saw some of the equipment Mr. Drake brought with him and it made his blood run cold. 'What has this man done that he wants him to suffer so?'

He saw the look on one of his henchmen and he frowned "Something the matter, Michael?"

Michael regained his composure "No, sir." Still, his thoughts continued to float towards the equipment.

"Good. Tell Mr. Drake that I will be out there in 10 minutes."

He nodded and walked out the door.

Nathan sat in his studio. He took up his sketchbook and turned to an empty page. A tear made its way onto it and soon it was joined by another. He attempted to pick up a pencil but his hand trembled so much that it dropped on the floor. The tears continued to fall and he didn't stop them. He closed his eyes and cried silently.

The door was opened and Setsuna was leaning against the wall of the door. She silently walked over to him and wiped away the tears from his face. She kissed his forehead "Are you ok?"

Nathan opened his eyes and looked at her "No."

She caressed his shoulder "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Someone is after me. I don't know their reason, but they want me dead."

She kissed his hair "When did it happen?"

"It happened over an hour ago."

She stood up quickly and there was unfocused anger in her eyes "In the palace? How could that happen?"

"The tailor was an assassin." He saw her getting ready to leave and stopped her "He's long gone by now. I scared him off."

"Did he hurt you?"

He lifted his pant leg and showed the scratch.

Setsuna looked at the wound and shivered "I have to tell my father about this."

He nodded

She walked toward the door "I have found my fate and my happiness with you. I'm not going to go down without a fight."

He got up and touched her hand "Neither am I."

She looked at him and smiled. He kissed her hand and she walked away.

Michael watched as Mr. Drake stood a bundle of hay against a tree. He knew who the boss wanted to kill. He was asked many times to assassinate him but he refused. He couldn't kill a man in cold blood.

There was something about Mr. Drake that made him shiver. He couldn't put his finger on it, but it seemed he was pure evil.

He watched his boss walk up to him, rubbing his hands "So, Mister Drake. Let's see your wares."

Mr. Drake smiled and brought him to a blanket lying on a ground "I have some maces, spiked clubs, swords (the poisoned tipped and one that isn't) and the bow and arrow. I have poisons, spells and plagues. If anything interests, you Mr.----"

"Beagle." He gave him a fake name. If he got caught, the last thing he needed was a rat.

"Mr. Beagle. Just let me know."

Mr. Beagle's eyes rested upon a weapon. It looked like a bow an arrow, but the bow and arrow rested on a piece of wood "That weapon, what is it?"

He picked up the weapon "I made this myself. I call it a crossbow. Instead of pointing it like a normal bow and arrow, you aim the tip of the arrow to the target."

He stroked his chin "Can I try?"

He handed the weapon to Mr. Beagle. "Of course, sir"

He held it a bit awkwardly as first, but steadied it in his grasp

Mr. Drake positioned his fingers to a trigger "Just push your finger back against the trigger."

He did as he was told. The arrow flew from the bow and hit the top of the tree, just inches from the top of the hay.

"You see, it is that easy."

He nodded, and looked at the crossbow.

Mr. Drake picked up an arrow, and lit the tip on fire. Mr. Beagle handed the crossbow and he loaded the flaming arrow. He winked at Mr. Beagle "Here's a little bonus for you." He pushed the finger against the trigger and it hit the bundle of hay. The hay slowly became consumed by the flames.

Mr. Beagle watched the scene and a grin formed quickly on his face "I'll take it. Michael here will pay you."

Michael came up to Mr. Drake and gave him a sack of money.

He felt the sack's weight and smiled "It's a pleasure doing business with you." He rolled up his blanket, picked it up and walked away.

Mr. Beagle looked at scarred tree "You won't get away from me, Nathan. Not this time."

End Chapter 15

Well, it took a year to put it out. Multiple deletions of this chapter, my old computer finally dying and lack of inspiration are the reasons this took so long to get out. There's only one chapter left, plus epilogue. Hope you enjoy this.


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